Use of the “Websites” in the Refugee Crisis in Turkey: A Comparative Analysis of Web Sites Related to Syrian Refugees

This study focuses on the activities of national and international aid organizations which were conducted on the Internet regarding refugees in Turkey. Empirical analyses comprise the official websites of the following institutions; Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), Immigration Administration General Directorate of the Ministry of Interior, International High Commissioner for Refugees-Turkish Department (UNHCR), and the Association for Solidarity with Refugees in Turkey (Mülteci-Der). Following questions are inquired: How do official websites primarily provide information, how they are designed, and how do they reflect the policies that are relevant to the resolution of refugee problems? Do these official websites provide users sufficient and effective communication facilities for the integration of refugees in society in terms of information flow and information sharing? Websites were analyzed by using the “web site analysis scale” used by Gibson et al. in their analysis of political parties’ web sites during the election campaigns in the US and UK. The official websites were reviewed for 28 days between 1 - 28 February 2018 and rated according to their capacity to provide function and presentation features. In the study, it was concluded that in terms of information flow and sharing, the websites of the Turkey’s official institutions, AFAD and Migration Administration, are designed more effective than others